Two incumbents will square off against one challenger in the Nov. 3 election for Duarte Unified School District’s board.

Incumbents Ken Bell and Reyna Diaz are running against challenger Tom Reyes for two open seats on the school board.

Bell, a 20-year board member, sees the budget as the biggest challenge and priority for the coming year. Like other school districts, Duarte had to make painful cuts, he said.

As a veteran member, Bell hopes voters will elect him to another term because of his experience in dealing with academic and financial issues.

“We have come a long way since I was first elected. Our culture is different now. We have good administrators and good board members,” he said. “We are working hard to maintain our high-achieving schools.”

Incumbent Reyna Diaz has served on the board for 12 years. In addition to the stabilizing the district’s budget, she wants to focus on increasing parent involvement in the schools.

Diaz is also hoping voters will view her years of service with the district in a positive light.

“I think we have done a lot and I think I deserve another 12 years,” she said. “I know I can do more. I leave it up to the people.”

Challenger Tom Reyes ran two years ago for the school board and is coming back for another challenge.

“I’m not happy with the direction we are going in,” Reyes said. “The drop out rate is too high and there are a lot of areas that need improvement.”

One of Reyes’ concern is the disconnect between parents and school administrators and he wants to fix the situation.

Reyes said one of his strengths is his long involvement with the schools. With three children, two who are currently attending Duarte schools, Reyes said he interacts with parents and teachers on a daily basis.

Reyes also wants to begin improvements at the district’s lower-performing elementary schools so when students get to the middle and high schools, they are prepared academically, he said.

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